


Balance

by SnowyK



Category: EXO (Band), Mamamoo, SHINee, Super Junior, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: AtLA AU, Comedy, F/F, Fluff, M/M, drunken dragon hunting, the ot3 is super minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 04:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9584273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowyK/pseuds/SnowyK
Summary: Avatar/ATLA AU. Hyukjae may have mastered the elements but without Donghae the world (and its paperwork) would be doomed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of the Solar Eclipse Eunhae Exchange/Fest that a friend and I hosted. This story's also at http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1221061, along with all my stories.

 

“Shit, shit shit shit,” Hyukjae mutters, flinging papers aside as he digs for that one all-important document that the Fire Nation Princess would, most definitely, kill him for failing to bring to the meeting. “I’m really screwed this time, Mimi.”

Zhou Mi, the purple rabbit spirit perched atop his wardrobe, quirks his head to the side. Chiming inquisitively, he jumps down and floats to watch the Avatar make a mess of the neatly arranged paperwork Donghae had left just hours before. The spirit chimes sadly as the last of the papers hit the floor and Hyukjae begins rummaging through the fallen pages.

“Wheein is going to explode,” Hyukjae grimaces, remembering the last time he’d made the princess look ‘incompetent’ in front of the elders. “She’ll fry me up for dinner.” The jingle of bells fill the air as Zhou Mi lowers his head sadly, hopping to the ground and attempting to tidy the pictures. “Hey,” Hyukjae grins even as he feels certain doom settle upon him, “that’s Donghae’s job.”

“What’s my job?” Donghae asks, eyes still on his clipboard as he enters Hyukjae’s bedroom. “Other than telling you you’re going to be late–” he cuts himself off as he surveys the damage that was his carefully sorted pile of documents. “Oh my gosh. Hyukjae, I was only gone for four minutes!”

“I’m sorry,” Hyukjae moans, giving up and stepping out of the way to let Donghae airbend the papers back into a neat, if unorganised, pile. “I was trying to find that report of the Port Bulleen attacks. I know Wheein wanted to talk about it.”

“That she does,” Donghae says, exasperated yet unable to help the small smile tugging persistently at his lips. “Which is why I said I had it with me when I left to see if Prince Sehun wanted us to bring the proposal for travelling spirit-human relation teams. He does, by the way.”

“You had it with you?” Hyukjae asks, eyes widening with surprise. “I don’t remember you saying that. Mimi?”

Zhou Mi shakes his head, his large ears swinging wildly in the air as he stares earnestly at Donghae with large blue eyes.

Sighing, Donghae puts his clipboard on the bed and quickly rifles through the dusty pile of papers for the proposal. “Honestly, are you really twenty five? When I was hired to be your assistant I didn’t think I’d be your nanny.” Eyebrow raised, he holds out a thin selection of pages to Hyukjae.

Heat rushing to his cheeks, Hyukjae accepts the file and sighs. “I’m sorry. I’ve got too many things going on and it’s hard to keep track. And I haven’t gone swimming in _ages_. Or flying!”

Humming to show he’s listening, Donghae habitually fixes Hyukjae’s robes as the apology becomes a full-fledged tangent about the fun they could be having but aren’t. “Unfortunately for you, politics don’t sort themselves out,” Donghae says reasonably, his reluctant grin finally reaching his lips at Hyukjae’s dejected pout. “You’d be more annoyed if you did nothing and the baboons that run the nation had their way.”

“You’re right,” he sighs, ignoring the goose bumps Donghae’s fingers leave in their wake. “Can’t have a war break out over trade disputes and rebel attacks. We haven’t even had a decade since the last war. And with Avatar Hwasa dying so early…” Sighing, Hyukjae shakes his head in an attempt to dispel the weight of expectations on his shoulders. “The world needs a strong Avatar. Whether I’m ready or not.”

Chest heavy with empathy, Donghae pats his shoulder and turns back to retrieve his clipboard. “You’ll be fine. You handle the world and all the idiots inside it, I’ll handle the paperwork.”

Huffing a laugh, Hyukjae accepts the clipboard and Donghae’s smile. “Deal.”

 

* * *

 

His slippers nearly soundless on the marble floor, Donghae moves swiftly through the hall. He checks every room he passes, uneasiness slowly building up as he confirms the rooms to be empty of a certain restless Avatar.

“Donghae?”

Startled, Donghae spins around to see Jongin limping towards him, book in one hand and crutch in the other. “Jongin? I thought you were supposed to be resting.”

“I have been resting. All the time. Any more and I think my butt would’ve abandoned me for someone more active,” he grins, heading past Donghae and glancing back to make sure he’s followed.

“You’re not the only one tired of inactivity,” Donghae grins, not surprised when Jongin declines his offer to carry his book for him. “A week of politics and Hyukjae looked ready to jump out of his skin. My eyes feel like they’ll fall out if I read any more legal documents,” he sighs.

“You sound like you need a holiday,” Jongin muses. “I’ve been reading too, but on healing. I’m not confident enough to practise on my leg though, too worried I’ll mess something up and I’d never walk right again.”

“Simon would kill you if you tried anyway,” Donghae says with a smile. “That’s why he calls himself Simon D. Simon Don’t Fuck With My Patients.”

Snorting with amusement, Jongin can’t disagree. “He’d break my leg all over again and make sure it heals properly next time.”

“Hey, he may be the best healer in the palace but nobody’s better at fighting with water than you are,” Donghae points out. “He couldn’t break your leg if he tried. Only you could do that.”

“Only Taemin could do that,” Jongin rolls his eyes, “we were sparring but he knocked me too far back and I fell down the mountainside. There wasn’t enough water to break my fall properly, so my leg did it for me.”

“He knocked you off a _mountain_?” Donghae says incredulously. “I thought you were running and your foot got caught!”

“Is that what he told you? What a bastard,” Jongin grumbles, “firebenders.”

“I didn’t hear it from him, I heard it from Seulgi.” Donghae’s eyebrows furrow as he considers this. “Funny how truths get twisted around in this palace.”

“Indeed,” Jongin says slowly, his eyes narrowing slyly. “Like the rumour that Hyukjae shows you just how good at bending he is.”

Blinking with confusion and checking that another room doesn’t contain said Avatar, Donghae replies, “How is that a rumour? He is good at bending. It’s his job.” Looking back at the sound of choking, he realises Jongin has stopped and dropped his book to laugh. “What? What did I say?”

“You really don’t? Oh, Donghae,” Jongin cackles, balancing his leg to retrieve his book. “Donghae, half the palace thinks you two are dating and the other half thinks it’s going to happen.”

Mouth dropping over, Donghae stares as Jongin catches up to him. “Him? Me? Dating? How- why does anyone think that? We’re just friends!”

“Hey, you don’t need to justify it to me,” Jongin shrugs. “Ah, this is my stop,” he gestures to the library. “No quieter place to sleep.”

“Not that I’d know,” Donghae jokes, knowing all too well how easy it is to drift off in the soft couches near the crackling fireplaces. “You busy tomorrow? You look like you could use a game of Pai Sho.”

“I’d love that,” Jongin smiles genuinely. “Never realised how solitary you get once you can’t practise bending.” He watches Donghae glance about himself for a moment and adds, “If you’re looking for Hyukjae, he’s with Taemin at the training grounds.”

Donghae nearly smacks his forehead. “Of course he is.”

Jongin tries to hold himself back, but teasing Donghae far too tempting. “If you leave them alone for long enough maybe people will think they’re dating.”

“Oh fuck off,” Donghae glares at him before walking off, his footsteps heavier but definitely not stomping on the floor in irritation.

 

* * *

 

Now that he isn’t worried that Hyukjae has stolen his flying bison Siwon for a joyride through the skies, Donghae can agree he really should’ve considered the training grounds earlier. The endless long hours of meetings with different officials over topics Hyukjae mostly cared about had left the Avatar restless, tired of thinking and snappier than usual. It’s no surprise that after the meetings had concluded he would spend that frustrated energy on fighting.

Leaning against the sturdy fence, Donghae watches Hyukjae and Taemin spar with impressive bouts of firebending. The sight of black scars in the soil has him touching his eyebrows, all too easily reminded of the consequences of getting too close. A few metres away, Zhou Mi chatters with a group of small spirits drawn by the activity.

“If we didn’t still have visitors from the other nations, I’d be joining them,” a soft voice says beside him. A quick glance confirms the speaker to be Wheein, dressed in high quality red robes that are only slightly less formal than the ones she’d worn throughout the meetings. Painted red lips quirk into a smile. “Can’t ruin my flawless reputation by taking them both out like a barbarian.”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you try,” Donghae says honestly, torn between being grateful there hasn’t had reason to see the princess truly fight and being disappointed he can’t see her brilliance in battle.

“You look like you could use a fight yourself,” Wheein says, folding her hands neatly atop the fence. “I don’t think I’ve seen you bend other than chasing papers and getting on your bison’s saddle.”

Donghae laughs and shakes his head, looking up at the clouds slowly drifting by. “It’s been busy. If Hyukjae’s busy, I’m busy too.”

Wheein snorts with amusement, a sound she wouldn’t dare make around people she considers less than friends. Donghae is a little flattered. “If Hyukjae’s busy, you’re twice as busy. You should’ve seen him before we hired you. He slept in every day, ran away from meetings, didn’t read a quarter of the reports he needed to. He’s great for solving disputes that aren’t around a table, but bureaucracy just isn’t his thing.”

Humming with agreement, Donghae watches Taemin jump into an impressive spin that sends a flurry of fireballs towards Hyukjae, who jumps up with what Donghae instinctively recognises to be airbending. Hyukjae then returns attack with boosted jets of fire while Taemin yells about cheating. “It’s barely my thing, let alone his.”

Wheein watches him curiously, her gaze slowly burning the side of his face. “When’s the last time you had fun?”

The unexpected question taking him by surprise, he drags his eyes away from the fight to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry?”

“When’s the last time you had fun? You know, did something that wasn’t work,” she says patiently. “And recreational reading doesn’t count,” she adds when he opens his mouth.

Having expected the answer to be easy, Donghae is at a loss when nothing recent comes to mind. “Eating, I guess. Sleeping. Talking with friends.”

“I see,” Wheein says seriously, not showing any judgement for his response. “And the last time you bended for fun?”

Thinking back, Donghae nearly groans as he realised how bad it sounds. “A month ago. I was training Hyukjae and he flew off with the food so I had to chase him.”

Tilting her head, Wheein considers this. “You know, it’s been tradition in my family to retreat to Ember Island. Maybe it’s time we all had a break.”

“Tradition?” Donghae repeats.

Wheein shakes her head fondly. “You would pick out tradition before holiday. My father took us there, and his mother and her father and so on.”

“It does sound familiar. I heard stories at the Eastern Air Temple about Avatar Aang and Lord Zuko staying there, and that Lord Zuko eventually lived there.”

“He did. Even all these years later, it’s still a quiet island. A mating dragon couple claimed it and they scare off visitors.”

If it wasn’t for the mischievous glint in her golden eyes, Donghae would believe her. “Very funny. That’s definitely a bedtime tale for children.”

“Maybe,” Wheein replies lightly, not giving enough away for Donghae to tell if she thinks the story is true. “We should go check it out.”

“You’ve gone from a calm holiday to dragon hunting,” Donghae sighs, acting more exasperated than he really is. Wheein gives him a broad grin for his efforts. “Why am I not surprised.”

Wheein’s arm twitches as if she wants to elbow him, but she remains still at the sight of Water Tribe representatives moving forward to claim the training ground now that Hyukjae and Taemin have stopped sparring. “I am being serious, you know,” she says as the firebenders walk towards them. “I think we could use a weekend away.”

“You should talk to Fire Lord Chanyeol first, just to be sure,” Donghae muses. “And Hyukjae’s schedule is empty for now, which means mine is too.”

“Will do,” Wheein smiles, waving Hyukjae and Taemin over. “Can we go by bison?”

“You want to travel by my stinky best friend?” Donghae asks, laughing at Wheein’s offended expression. “I’m sure he’d love that. How many of us? Are we bringing supplies?”

“There’s a resort house we can use, and staff will be there. Just bring yourself, really,” Wheein says. After glancing around for a moment, she leans into Donghae and murmurs, “All I need to bring is my girlfriend.”

Hyukjae blinks intrigued gold eyes at them as he approaches, brushing sweaty black hair off his face. “What’s with the whispering?”            

“Wheein wants to have a sleepover on a dragon-infested island,” Donghae says bluntly.

“ _No_ , I said having a vacation on Ember island this weekend would be good for us,” Wheein sends Donghae a brief scowl. “Interested?” she asks, looking at Taemin to make it clear he’s included in the invitation.

“Sounds good,” Taemin smiles. “Can Jongin come?”

“You sure he’ll want to after you broke his leg?” Hyukjae jests, grinning when Taemin sends him a golden glare from behind long black hair.

“I didn’t break his leg, he failed to counter. Besides, he scarred my back so we’re even,” Taemin says conclusively, glancing at Wheein.

“Of course he can come,” Wheein says warmly. “Hyukjae?”

“Sounds amazing, honestly,” Hyukjae grins. “Mimi might come, if he’s so inclined. Donghae? You going?”

Wheein cuts in before he can reply. “He’s going as a friend. If you give him work to do I’ll kick your butt.”

“Me! Give him work!” Hyukjae cackles, “ _You_ give me work, which gives him work. If it’s a holiday there’s no work to be had!”

“Don’t make his bed, Donghae,” Taemin adds, his eyes glinting dangerously as a thought crosses his mind. Donghae feels like he knows what’s coming before Taemin continues, “Unless you’re in it.”

Donghae’s cheeks heat again while Hyukjae stamps his foot into the ground and catapults Taemin into the air with a burst of rock. “Not funny!” Hyukjae yells as Taemin softens his landing with a flip of flames. “Are you getting this, Donghae? A weekend away from this place’s gossip will be good.”

“Yeah,” Donghae says softly, meeting Hyukjae’s embarrassed gaze and ignoring Wheein’s knowing stare. “I could do with less gossip.”

 

* * *

 

Friday afternoon finds Donghae adjusting the straps of Siwon’s saddle, Zhou Mi hovering over his shoulder to watch his hands with fascination. “And, done,” he murmurs once he’s satisfied the buckles are secure. “Not too tight, buddy?”

The air bison turns his large head and bellows, lifting his heavy tail and letting it hit the ground with an earth-trembling thud.

“That means it’s okay, right?” Hyukjae asks. When Siwon’s head turns towards him he quickly jumps back, “Oh no you don’t, I don’t wanna be all slobbery for the ride! I’d stink!”

“You already stink,” Taemin says, leaning over the saddle’s rim to grin down at Hyukjae. “Wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Hey! Like you can talk!” Hyukjae yells, bending a gust of air to propel him into the saddle. “If Siwon gets tired I’ll shove you to the end so you can fart us all the way to the island,” he says, smirking at Taemin’s irritated scowl.

“Somehow, I feel like I’m a babysitter on a fieldtrip,” Tiffany says, leaning against Wheein and staring at Taemin and Hyukjae with a cool green gaze. “And I can’t even put you in time out unless we’re on the ground.”

“It’s nice to not be the only babysitter for once,” Donghae murmurs. Hearing a snort beside him, he turns to see the Fire Nation Price watching him with amused eyes. “Hello, Sehun, are you coming too?”

“Of course,” Sehun replies, staring up at the saddle looming over them. “Can’t have my sister go on vacation while I stay at home!”

After a moment, Wheein’s face appears over the saddle’s rim. “Be honest, you’re escaping the paperwork like the rest of us.”

“I think father is actually hoping we’ll find dragons and get spiritual enlightenment,” Sehun shrugs, nearly dropping his bag from his shoulder. “Fat chance of that happening. How do I get up there?”

“You can either crawl up his tail or–” Donghae’s voice cuts off as a large gust of air he’s not manipulating rockets Sehun from the ground into the saddle, landing with a loud thud that makes Siwon grumble. “Hyukjae!”

“Oh lighten up,” Taemin drawls, looking up with a grin when Donghae propels himself into the crowded saddle. “We’re supposed to be having fun!”

“Fun,” Donghae breathes, uncomfortable to realise so many knowing gazes are centred on him. “Right. Anybody else coming?”

“There’s no room,” Jongin says, shuffling his injured leg closer to the saddle’s rim and cradling his bag in his lap. Seated next to him, Taemin holds his crutch. “Not unless we go by ship.”

“If we go by ship we’ll have a million guards,” Sehun says, still rubbing his butt with a pained expression. “Seven, that’s all of us. Let’s go!”

Donghae jumps with a gust of air and lands gently behind Siwon’s head. “You good for this, buddy?” he asks him. The bison bellows and thumps his tail on the ground, causing a tremor that makes a cart lose its melons. “Uh, ready or not let’s go. A-Cha!” Zhou Mi gives a startled chime at being forgotten and zips into Hyukjae’s arms, glaring at him accusingly.

With a loud rumble, Siwon thumps his tail again and leaps into the air, leaving the yelling melon merchant Kangin behind.

 

* * *

  


Ember Island isn’t quite what Donghae had expected. The west side of the island is inhabited and dotted with houses, but the east side is overgrown with vegetation, close to mountains and every beach house he’s seen in the area is abandoned.

Of course, just as he’d been angling Siwon to head for civilisation, Wheein had directed him east with no small amount of amusement.

The vacation house the royals led them to showed obvious signs of neglect- cracked paint, weeds growing into the balcony, bird nests in windowsills and dust _everywhere_. Zhou Mi convinced the spirits occupying the house to leave, assisted by the large bison’s approach. Siwon soon got too close and promptly sneezed, sending nearby birds flying in fright and making the dust fill the air. Donghae, Hyukjae and Jongin on his crutch were tasked with cleaning duty while the firebenders cleared the vegetation.

An hour later finds the villa clean, Siwon groomed and snoozing outside, and the group sitting around a campfire on the beach. Donghae finishes his skewered fish – vegetarianism had always been more of this father’s thing – and looks up at the stars. Hyukjae leans against him as they watch Tiffany make sand sculptures around the fire, and Donghae finally lets himself relax and feel content.

“I vote we go east and buy food tomorrow,” Sehun proposes, holding his skewer delicately and eyeing the fish with trepidation. Zhou Mi hovers above his head, clearly set to steal it should he discard it.

“What’s wrong with camping, you spoiled baby,” Wheein teases, apparently in her element with barbequed fish in one hand and Tiffany’s hand in the other. “But sure! I wanna hear more about this dragon business.”

“There aren’t dragons here,” Taemin says as he breaks off the flesh of his fish and holds it to Jongin’s bemused lips. “It’s just a story.”

“How would you know?” Tiffany asks curiously. “It feels empty enough here, but it doesn’t mean they’re not here. Who knows, they could be on vacation too.”

“Good girlfriend,” Wheein praises, tapping her thigh approvingly while Tiffany rolls her eyes. “It’s plausible! Why else would they abandon it here? It’s beautiful!”

“Excuse me,” Jongin interrupts when Taemin presses more fish to his mouth. “My leg is crippled, not my arms. I can feed myself.”

“I’m being a good boyfriend,” Taemin says, blinking large eyes at Jongin appealingly in a way Donghae finds both genuine yet teasing. Not for the first time, Donghae’s glad that Jongin is the one who has to deal with him.

Frowning with confusion, Jongin steals Taemin’s skewer. “You’re not my boyfriend.”

After a second, Taemin says simply, “Do you want me to be?”

Donghae leans forward to clap Jongin on the back when he starts choking on fish, feeling Hyukjae drop into his lap with a murmur of surprise. Recovering, Jongin narrows his eyes as he tries to figure out if Taemin is being serious or not. “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body.”

Shrugging, Taemin persists, “We’re at a campfire under a clear night on a holiday island. How is that not romantic?”

Jongin sighs, clearly more bothered by their captive audience than Taemin is. “We’re surrounded by five other people who are so close it’s not even eavesdropping. You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“So there’s a chance?” Taemin asks, peering at Jongin from beneath his hair with eyes so wide Donghae can see the flames flickering in his red irises.

Suddenly feeling like he’s seeing something he shouldn’t, Donghae looks down to Hyukjae in his lap. “You right there?”

“Very,” Hyukjae says, helping himself to another skewer and looking more like a carefree teenager than the dignified avatar of twenty five he’s supposed to be. Donghae thinks he likes him better this way.

“Grandpa wasn’t kidding when he said that this island reveals the true you,” Sehun murmurs.

“Too bad you didn’t bring a suitor,” Wheein says with a cheeky grin. “You can go on a journey of self-improvement next time.”

“Try running into cute girls while going to the Earth Kingdom states for diplomatic missions,” Tiffany says smoothly. “Worked for her,” she says, bumping shoulders gently with Wheein.

“We’re definitely going into town tomorrow,” Sehun grimaces, “if we’re not dragon hunting, I’m going to need alcohol.”

 

* * *

 

Sehun did indeed get alcohol from the shops in the west. Donghae doesn’t drink, but he does get roped into doing stupid things with his so called friends. Last time this happened, he had to explain the creation of a small island to the locals of an Earth Kingdom state. He still blames Namjoon and Minho for that.

This time, he has a restless Avatar, an adventure-seeking band of firebenders, a mischievous earthbender and an exasperated waterbender. Of course this time would escalate to drunken dragon hunting. “You’re my only friend, Mimi,” he says to the rabbit spirit perched on his head. “My only sober friend.” Sighing quietly, Donghae reaches out and grabs Taemin before he can stumble over tree roots.

Taemin blinks blearily, gives a little laugh and reaches for Jongin. “Gimme your crutch!”

Jongin, who is thankfully only tipsy as he’d rather not ruin his good foot, rolls his eyes but takes Taemin from Donghae. “Gimme a sec.” Concentrating, he holds out his hand and waits. Donghae looks up at the sound of rustling leaves and stares as a steady stream of water drops from the canopy and promptly freezes into a replica of Jongin’s crutch. “Here. Happy birthday,” Jongin says sarcastically. Taemin cheers and shoves it under his arm, apparently unbothered by its low temperature.

“And this was supposed to be relaxing,” Donghae murmurs, watching his friends make their unsteady but enthusiastic trek up the mountain. “Are you sure this couldn’t wait for tomorrow?”

“Lighten up,” Tiffany says, dropping back to sling an arm over his shoulders. “This is fun!”

“Say you actually find a dragon,” Donghae says, “what would you do? Offer it a drink?”

“Splendid idea,” Hyukjae grins, tucking himself into Donghae’s other side. Donghae scrunches his nose as the smell of alcohol assaults his nostrils from both Hyukjae and Tiffany. “We’ll drink and play Pai Sho.”

“It’s been hours, no dragons,” Donghae says, giving up the logical route. “When are we giving up?”

Tiffany slips away and latches onto Wheein instead. “The night is young!” Wheein declares, “Onwards we go!”

Donghae sighs again, slinging his arm around Hyukjae’s waist to steady him when he staggers. Hyukjae leans into him as much as he can without knocking them to the ground and grins at him. “Are you really not having fun?”

Considering this, Donghae hums and enjoys the warmth of the arm snaking around his hip. “It just seems like a drunken parade into the wilderness.”

“You’d enjoy it more if you drank,” Hyukjae advises sagely. “Admit it though, this beats paperwork.”

The amusement of a conspirator glittering in his red eyes, Hyukjae’s grin has Donghae smiling along. “Okay, you got me. This definitely beats paperwork.”

“Snake! Snake!” Sehun shouts. Donghae doesn’t even have time to look up before someone tells him it’s a vine. Which is just fine with him, Donghae would much rather continue taking in the happiness in Hyukjae’s face.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure you’re okay walking like this?” Donghae asks Hyukjae, who is still latched onto his side. He’s more than a little relieved the others are too distracted to pay them much attention.

“Your eyes are pretty,” Hyukjae says instead, nearly tripping over a group of small rocks as he stares at Donghae instead of the ground. “Almost silver, like starlight.”

Cheeks flushing, Donghae glances around and shifts the wind to prevent their words carrying across to be heard by curious ears. “They’re grey, Hyukjae. Like rocks.”

“Not to me, they’re not,” Hyukjae says earnestly, not perturbed by Donghae’s inability to gracefully accept a compliment. “More like the grey of storm clouds, steely and thick with the smell of rain and thunder.”

“Thunder is a sound,” Donghae corrects habitually, cursing his pounding heart and wondering how much of Hyukjae’s words are truth and how much is inebriation. “You firebenders and your lightning obsession.”

Hyukjae just grins and looks hopelessly enamoured. Donghae feels his blush turn fierce and looks away, not sure what he’d said to deserve someone looking at him like that.

The gleam of cat-like, golden eyes watching them from the canopy has the heat of his face dropping into frost. Hoping dearly he’s hallucinating from drowsiness, he blinks hard and looks again. The large eyes lock onto his in a lazy gaze, quiet with an undercurrent of danger. His mouth suddenly dry, Donghae swallows and finds himself unable to look away. “Shit,” he mutters. “I thought there’d be less spirits if there were actually…”

Zhou Mi perks up, at last noticing Donghae’s predicament, and gives a cheerful jingle of bells.

“Traitor,” Donghae mutters. “Hey!” he calls out, finally tearing his gaze away from that golden stare. “I’m tired, it’s time to go back. Any of you feel sober enough to go back without me?”

“Not even a little!” Wheein says loudly, swinging around with her arms out for balance. “We’ll resume tomorrow?”

“Hopefully not drunk,” Jongin says, ignoring Taemin draping over his back and trying to poke the floating butterfly spirit in front of them. “That would be nice.”

Hope blossoming in his chest like a flower of warmth at the possibility they could _not_ deal with a dragon, Donghae waits impatiently for the others to regroup. “Okay. Let’s go.”

He barely makes it two steps before he hears a stumble, a loud sneeze, and the night around him bursts into light as Taemin sneezes a jet of flames into the sky. Dread crushing that hope into pieces, Donghae turns around with Hyukjae still clutching his arm to see a large white dragon curled around them. Too sober to believe this isn’t happening, he sighs and waits for the panic of the group to calm down from startled yells.

“Flying hog monkeys,” Sehun murmurs, gripping Wheein’s arm in a vice grip she seems too stunned to notice. “Is this happening? Tell me it’s not happening.”

Zhou Mi chirps happily, leaving Donghae’s head to approach the dragon and give a jovial spin.

Taking a deep breath, Donghae evaluates – the dragon hasn’t attacked them, isn’t baring teeth, Zhou Mi isn’t in the least afraid and none of them are barbequed yet. Forcing himself to calm down, he slowly realises the dragon is more focused on Hyukjae than himself, watching him with eyes that could be called inquisitive.

“This so wasn’t in the job description,” Donghae mutters. “Um. Dragon?” he tries, trying not to flinch when its attention returns to him. “I’m really sorry about this, we weren’t actually expecting to find you. Dragons, that is. Um, if you’re agreeable, the next time we come up here we won’t be drunk?” Shifting uncomfortably at the unblinking gaze boring into him and struggling not to feel like an idiot, he continues, “I promise your next Avatar encounter will not involve alcohol.”

The dragon’s large head peers closer at him, unperturbed by Zhou Mi’s friendly pat on the horn. Its eyes glimmer with a mixture of amusement and sharp clarity. Donghae blinks in surprise and the dragon is gone, the air where it had been rushing in a fading circle. Shaking his head in bewilderment as Zhou Mi bounds back to him, he sighs heavily. “Am I crazy? I’m feeling crazy.”

“I hope I’m not the first drunk Avatar to meet a dragon,” Hyukjae says, torn between glee and embarrassment. “I’m glad you were here,” he says earnestly to Donghae.

His belly light with butterflies, Donghae returns his smile. “That’s what I’m here for.”

 

* * *

 

He’s not sure what wakes him up. The light in their room isn’t irritatingly bright, nobody is breaking anything for once and the temperature is perfect, if a little warm.

Stirring, Donghae squints his eyes open and sluggishly realises there is a sheen of purple obstructing the ceiling. It takes a long moment before he realises Zhou Mi’s ear is draped over his face. Sighing, he goes to move his arm but finds it stuck under something heavy.

Lifting his head and letting the spirit’s ear fall to his neck, he looks down to see that he’s entirely trapped under some _one_ heavy. His head hitting the pillow with a soft thump, a soft smile takes control of his lips as he processes that Hyukjae, Mr. I Can’t Sleep In One Position For The Life Of Me Even If It Means Falling Out Of Trees And Risking An Untimely Death, is still knocked out in the same embrace they’d drifted off in.

Donghae lets his eyes fall shut and relaxes, enjoying the tranquil silence.

A loud crash has his eyelids snapping open. He hears Siwon’s confused bellow before someone screams Taemin’s name.

“It wasn’t me!” Taemin yells from the neighbouring room. “I’m busy romancing Jongin!”

“No he wasn’t!” Jongin immediately denies, “He was sleeping on me! That’s not romance! Sehun I blame you for this misconception of courtship!”

“Guys! We’re supposed to be _relaxing_!” Wheein shrieks, “So start relaxing! Shut up! My head hurts!”

“Why do none of them understand peace,” Donghae murmurs, sighing as the crashes continue and Zhou Mi floats off to investigate.

“You should teach them meditation,” Hyukjae grumbles into Donghae’s robe.

“I have enough trouble teaching you,” he replies, a familiar giddy sensation rolling in his belly when Hyukjae snuggles into him. “I hear it works wonders for hangover headaches though.” Heat sears his chest as Hyukjae huffs a laugh.

“It does,” Hyukjae admits, folding his arms atop Donghae’s chest to rest his chin on them.

His arms now free, Donghae bunches his pillow and folds his arms beneath it to keep his head elevated enough to see Hyukjae. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he realises Hyukjae’s eyes are much more lucid than he’d expected them to be. “You’re not hungover?”

Humming, Hyukjae watches Donghae with that same fondness he’d had in his eyes last night. “I wasn’t that drunk.”

Donghae can’t help but raise an eyebrow. What he wants to say is ‘You made a bad impression on a dragon and you weren’t that drunk?’ but what comes out is, “You were all over me.”

A cheeky grin pulls at Hyukjae’s lips, and Donghae can’t help but glance at them. “Like I said.”

Confused and very aware of Hyukjae’s answering glance at his own lips, Donghae wavers between letting whatever this is between them go and being bold. Habitually licking his lower lip with hesitation and registering the definite interest in Hyukjae’s expression, he decides. “Can I ask you a question? It’s a little personal.”

Humming again, Hyukjae watches him with the red gaze of a man who knows leaping off a cliff is dangerous but is going to do it anyway. That Hyukjae is one of the few men who would only fly and succeed has that giddy feeling twisting Donghae’s stomach again. “Only if I can ask you one first.”

Donghae swallows nervously, equal parts unnerved and excited by Hyukjae’s eyes. “Shoot.”

“Why don’t you cut your hair?” Hyukjae asks unexpectedly. He reaches up to run his hand through Donghae’s thick hair and push it back to expose his arrow tattoo. “It’s traditional.”

Taken aback by the question, his answer slips out without thought. “It’s selfish. I don’t have much hair anywhere else, and I don’t like how I look without any. I feel the air’s flow everywhere else, and it speaks to me through moving my hair anyway. I’m not the most traditional airbender anyway, and this tells anybody else that immediately.”

“Didn’t know you had that level of defiance within you,” Hyukjae says, looking far too pleased with Donghae’s answer. “Food, hair. Anything else?”

“That’s an extra question,” Donghae says, nervousness making his lips dry. “My turn. Why are you being like this? It’s not normally how guys are with each other.”

Hyukjae is silent for a moment, watching him carefully. “I’m defiant too,” he says at last. “The elders are nagging at me to start dating, that I should marry and have children soon. But I already have someone that I like.”

Donghae isn’t stupid and he just _knows_ Hyukjae can feel his stupid heart trying to burst out of his chest. “You like me?”

“How could I not?” Hyukjae says, smiling in a way so smitten Donghae wonders how he didn’t notice before.

“Are you sure you like me though?” Donghae can’t help but ask, all too aware of how scandalous Namjoon’s relationship was. If the nations thought a polygamous relationship was shameful, an Avatar in a biracial same gendered relationship would be an outright disgrace. “We don’t live in a bubble.”

“Don’t I know about that,” Hyukjae says quietly, his gaze becoming more serious. “I’m very sure. Can I show you?”

Words become stuck in his throat and panic threatens to take hold, but when Hyukjae doesn’t move and is clearly waiting for permission, it starts to fade. Trying to calm down and knowing he won’t be able to while Hyukjae’s still on top of him, Donghae absorbs the patience in Hyukjae’s expression. “You never look this centred during meditation,” he says to stall for time.

“You’re a lot more interesting than inner clarity,” Hyukjae says honestly, and Donghae can’t help but laugh. "Seriously! I’ve gotten to know myself quite well over the years but I’d rather get to know you.”

Smiling softly, Donghae answers Hyukjae’s hopeful eyes with a small nod. “Alright then. Show me.”

His eyes brightening with delighted surprise, Hyukjae slowly shifts up the bed until their chests are pressed together and their lips are less than an inch apart. “Are you sure?” he asks, sliding his forearms beneath Donghae’s elbows to hold himself up.

Feeling a little trapped, Donghae fishes an arm out from under the pillow and rests his hand on the back of Hyukjae’s neck. An answering heartbeat against his own strengthens his resolve. “Very,” he murmurs, gently tugging him closer. He breathes in Hyukjae’s air as their lips brush and the intimacy of his essence in his lungs has him tilting his head and deepening the kiss, letting plump lips flow against his own for much longer than he’d intended.

Hyukjae doesn’t quite pull away when distant yells continue, instead parting and returning with more lingering kisses as if magnetically drawn to Donghae’s lips. “You’re so warm,” he breathes, grunting with quiet pleasure when Donghae’s fingers thread through his hair to initiate another kiss.

The heat in his chest threatening to grow from embers, Donghae rolls them over and lets their legs tangle as their lips separate. “Don’t want to move too quickly,” he explains when Hyukjae looks at him with dazed confusion.

“I’m half yes and half no on that,” Hyukjae says, tangling his hand in Donghae’s hair as middle-ground. “Were you breathing my air in? It felt like that.”

Cheeks warming with mild embarrassment, Donghae hums his confirmation. “Sorry if it’s weird.”

“Weird? I got to know something about you,” Hyukjae grins. “Sorry if the wine bothered you.”

A little touched, Donghae brushes his thumb absently along a high cheekbone. “I barely noticed it, it was more fruity than anything else. But if you think you can kiss me right after it you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Noted,” Hyukjae grins. At Tiffany’s shout, his expression turns contemplative. “Are we going to tell them?”

“Not yet,” Donghae says, closing his eyes as long fingers brush through his hair soothingly. “Let them figure it out themselves.”

“That’ll take ages,” Hyukjae sniggers, “there are already rumours.”

“More time to ourselves before the world steps in,” Donghae says, keeping his eyes shut as curious fingers trace over the arrow on his forehead. “Sounds good to me.”

 

 

* * *

 

>Sehun is the one crashing into things. He’s hungover and thinks the cure is more alcohol. Siwon is concerned.


End file.
